<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Careful Kind of Love by JoifulDreaming</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25549669">A Careful Kind of Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoifulDreaming/pseuds/JoifulDreaming'>JoifulDreaming</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman &amp; Terry Pratchett</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Kiss, Fluff, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:48:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,254</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25549669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoifulDreaming/pseuds/JoifulDreaming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Rest Now."  But, could be read on it's own.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Careful Kind of Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilian/gifts">Lilian</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For Lilian, who suggested that there should be a second part.  You were right.</p>
<p>First part: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25218355">Rest Now</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aziraphale woke to warmth.  That was the first thing he noticed.  He felt warm and comfortable and he had no real desire to change those two things.  Crowley’s hand was no longer stroking through his hair, but resting gently over his head.  He knew it was Crowley without a second thought, the scent of him all around mixing with those of antiquated pages and dust.  Aziraphale was home and Crowley was here.  They were safe and they were together.  That’s all that mattered.  </p>
<p>In this moment, he was going to indulge the idea that this was their happy ending: That they could go on forever dining out every night and holing up in the bookshop afterwards.  That they could indulge in sleepy cuddles on the sofa, safe in the knowledge that whatever came for them they would face it down together.  But, perhaps nothing would come.  They could pack up and travel and see all the places that they’d been before- there were precious few that they hadn’t visited at least once in a millennia of being on Earth.  It would be different.  They wouldn’t be as afraid to be there together.  They could stay in the same hotels.  Walk the same streets.  Go into interesting little shops together instead of staggering their entrances to make meetings look less contrived.  Maybe Crowley would hold his hand as they wound their way back to wherever they were staying.  Maybe.</p>
<p>His heart swelled and then constricted at the visions he had painted.  He realized how much he wanted that to be his world; how much he wanted to give to Crowley.  He nuzzled into Crowley’s thigh and sighed softly, willing the conflicting feelings in his chest to ease.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome to go back to sleep, if you want. I can feel you thinking from up here, though.”  Crowley’s voice was soft in the quiet room, but there was a roughness to it, too, as if it hadn’t been used for a while.</p>
<p>Aziraphale wanted to hold on to the warm, soft place he’d created.  He wanted to live there.  Life, the actual one, was creeping in on him again.  With it came the unease and anxiety and loose ends. </p>
<p>He rolled on to his back and opened his eyes, taking in the room: it had been light outside when he’d fallen asleep.  Now it was completely dark except for the one lamp across the room that Crowley must have miracled on.  The hand that had been jostled out of his hair returned and took up stroking it again.  </p>
<p>He peered up at Crowley.  There was one steady thread that wound through both reality and his indulgent dreams: Crowley’s care.  It was there regardless of the threats from Heaven and Hell.  It was there no matter how badly Aziraphale behaved.  It had been there at the end of the world, and had continued on afterwards.  In point of fact, it could be insinuated that Crowley’s care had saved the world- be it Aziraphale’s world or the one they lived on.</p>
<p>It had been too long since he’d said something.  Crowley’s head had lulled to the side on the back of the sofa, but he was still gazing down at him... not exactly with expectation, more with a careful kind of concern.</p>
<p>“I think I’m going to be alright,” the thing in his chest was curling up against Crowley’s care which made it hurt far less.</p>
<p>“Nap did you some good, after all?”  Crowley was smirking lopsidedly.</p>
<p>Aziraphale reached down and pinched his calf.</p>
<p>“Hey now!”</p>
<p>“The cheek.”</p>
<p>“You don’t mind.”</p>
<p>“Hmmph,”  Aziraphale rolled his eyes, “I do feel better.”</p>
<p>“Good.  A six hour nap always does me good, too.”</p>
<p>“SIX?”</p>
<p>“Six.”</p>
<p>“And you sat here the whole time.”</p>
<p>“I said I would, didn’t I?”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>“There’s no nee- I mean you best not-”</p>
<p>“I mean for more than the last six hours, Crowley.”</p>
<p>Crowley grunted in response.</p>
<p>“You’re always there for me, even when I’m positively rotten.  No, don’t interrupt me, let me finish,” he glared at Crowley until he was sure the demon would remain silent, “you are the only being on this planet and beyond that I can trust to always have my back.  So, thank you.  For looking after me today, but also for trying to do so all this time.  Without my help.”</p>
<p>“You do the same for me.”</p>
<p>“I haven’t.  I’ve thrown that care in your face far too many times.”</p>
<p>Crowley swallowed noisily in the quiet room, looking away for the first time.  Aziraphale’s heart lurched and he reached back, taking Crowley’s hand in both of his and pulling it to his chest.</p>
<p>“But, I’m going to do better.”</p>
<p>Crowley’s eyes darted back and forth between his trapped hand and Aziraphale’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Because you deserve the same care.”</p>
<p>“Stop,” Crowley said on a soft whine, “you can’t just say things like that, Angel.”</p>
<p>“I think I can, actually,” and, feeling decidedly bold, he lifted Crowley’s hand and softly kissed the back of it.  When Crowley’s eyes slipped shut, he turned the hand and kissed the palm, too, delighting in the gentle shiver that he felt go through the demon in response.</p>
<p>“Oh, get up!” Crowley barked at him, making his heart stutter, but Crowley’s hand was still clasped around his.  He hadn’t let go.  He made to sit up, but found that halfway through the motion he was being tugged into Crowley’s lap.</p>
<p>“You really can’t just say things like that.  I mean it,” Crowley growled, his voice rougher than before.  His voice held an uneven kind of tone, like water tripping over rocks faster and faster as it went downhill.</p>
<p>“Why, on Earth, not?” Their faces were so close now.  Aziraphale could count his eyelashes if he wanted to.  He found himself mesmerized, momentarily, by the idea.</p>
<p>“Because.  Because, guh.  Angel, it gives me ideas.”  </p>
<p>Pressed this close together, Aziraphale could feel Crowley’s quickening breaths against his chest.</p>
<p>“Peace,” Aziraphale breathed into the limited space between them, lifting a hand and stroking Crowley’s face, “be still, my serpent.”</p>
<p>And then suddenly he found himself being kissed.  Being kissed by Crowley.  With Crowley’s hands- the both of them- tangled in his hair.  Somewhere beyond himself, he heard his own startled gasp followed quickly by an embarrassingly long, high-pitched whine that also belonged to him.  Before he could gather his wits enough to respond in kind, Crowley’s lips had left his own, trailing along his jaw and then nosing his way under his chin and nuzzling there.</p>
<p>“Tell me it’s alright, Aziraphale,” Crowley breathed deep, making him shudder at the sensation, “tell me this is okay.”</p>
<p>“It’s m-more than okay, darling,” he turned his head slightly to kiss Crowley’s temple, “any way you show me you care for me is acceptable.”</p>
<p>“It isn’t just care...” Crowley leaned back just enough to face him, eyes wide and glassy. “I love you, Angel.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Crowley...”</p>
<p>“Aziraphale, I love you.”</p>
<p>“Crowley,” Aziraphale framed the demons trembling face in his hands, “I love you, too.”</p>
<p>“You what, now?”  Crowley’s jaw popped open and stayed that way.</p>
<p>“Silly serpent,” Aziraphale chuckled, giddy with the sudden lack of tension, “I said ‘I love you, too.’“</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Aziraphale felt his lips drawing up into what he was sure was a very silly, terribly sappy smile.  He watched Crowley’s eyes crinkle happily at the corners.</p>
<p>“So, that’s a thing.”</p>
<p>Aziraphale shook his head and laughed, leaning in for another kiss which Crowley seemed more than happy to accept.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>